Destination: Home

As I sit here in Lesce, I can’t help but think of the incredible things God has done on this trip. Doubts turned into faith. Worries turned into joy. Weaknesses turned into dependency on Jesus.

There were so many prayers answered and we can’t wait to share some of the stories with you.

We have had a wonderful past couple of days recharging and processing the past couple of weeks. On Sunday, we had the privilege of visiting Stephanie’s church, Radovljica Evangelical Christian Church. We were thrilled to worship and fellowship with believers from a different country and to sing songs like “How Great is Our God” sung in three different languages! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a global Gospel, and I am glad we got to experience that in a very tangible way over here.

Later that day, we hosted a Slovene BBQ near the town of Bled with students. We had a blast eating, playing fun and goofy games, and following up with conversations that took place at camp. It was fun interacting with these kids back in their communities and watching them ride their bikes from town to town to meet us for the events that were planned for after camp.

On Monday morning, we had a great time debriefing the past two weeks as a team and encouraging one another. It was so cool to see how God used each individual on this team in a variety of ways. Each team member showed humility, was willing to be stretched and drawn out of their comfort zone, and wanted to interact with and love these students in a genuine way. Everyone sought team unity and was looking out for the other person’s needs before their own.

After our debrief, we headed out to Lake Bled to spend some more time with students, until later that night, when we said our final farewells. It was so hard saying goodbye because we don’t know when we’ll see these faces again, but I also felt peace knowing these kids are in good hands with the Slovene leaders. Stephanie Rogers and the other leaders here love these kids so much and they are continually reaching out to young people and engaging with them in a deep and meaningful way.

God is at work here in Slovenia. Though the church may not seem large or the statistics promising, God is faithful and is using every opportunity for his glory and for His kingdom.

We hope and pray this is the beginning of something great in the country of Slovenia.

Tomorrow morning we leave to head home back to the States. Please pray for safety and smooth travels. We arrive back in Portland on Wednesday at 3:15!